tells you all that? You keep asserting that there's no shifter blood in you, so you shouldn't have a wolfie sense."
"Well you're smiling for one, hence the happiness. You eyes keep shifting to the door to see the people inside, hence the eagerness. And your pulse is rapidly beating at the base of your neck, which could be from excitement, but I know that if it were me about to introduce you to all my family I'd be nervous about everything going well. So maybe chalk that one up to transference."
"See? There's nothing to it. Having said that, there will be a few biological changes in your system after we mate. I'm sure you've heard of them from one source or another over the years. You'll take my DNA through the enzymes from both my saliva and semen, and it will alter yours. You'll still be you, but...I guess the most appropriate word is enhanced."
"Will I be able to shift like you?"
"No. Only someone with the actual shifter gene can change shape. We'll talk more about that later. For now, let's have some fun."
Nicole nodded and smiled.
Jaryn pulled open the door and led Nicole inside. As soon as they stepped into the open interior, the clapping of almost one hundred and thirty shifters and town members close to the pack filled the space with a roar. There were a handful that'd shifted and now howled. Their song filled the rafters and Nicole jumped. Jaryn steadied her with his palm on the base of her back.
He placed a little kiss on the back of her ear. “It's okay, baby. They're just welcoming you home."
"They startled me, is all. It was beautiful, but I hadn't actually expected to see any of them like that."
"You mean in their wolf forms?"
Nicole nodded.
"It's not typical of pack meetings, unless we're all going out for a run. But they wanted to make the occasion special for you. Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone."
Jaryn took Nicole's hand and led her deeper into barn-like structure. They were surrounded by all the members of the Phantom River pack, and Jaryn smiled as Nicole turned in circles trying to see everyone.
Jaryn held up his hand and the room went silent. “I know many of you have met this young woman since she came to town, but it is my honour tonight on the night of our harvest moon celebration to formally introduce Nicole Holland, my mate."
More applause and howls rang out, and he and Nicole were quickly surrounded by dozens of well wishers. When the excitement simmered down, he took Nicole on a tour of the lodge. There were several cosy pockets of sitting areas scattered around, made up of furniture donated to the pack when members updated their homes. Large rugs scattered around softened the wide-planked wood floors. When pack business took place they set the space up like a conference room, but this was a social gathering so all of Jaryn's friends and family were drinking and dancing and having a good time. Pups darted in and out of the crowd, playing and searching out their parents. The smell of rich homemade food floated out from the kitchen, and Nicole's curvy little body filled his arms. There was nothing better in his mind.
* * * *
Nicole accepted a drink from Jody, one of the female pack members. Over the course of the night, she'd learned much about the man who was her mate. Small towns were good for getting to know someone's intimate secrets. She heard all about the pranks Jaryn had pulled in his youth, as well as his academic achievements from a couple of his former teachers. Nicole had talked to them for some time about the possibility of joining the faculty at the high school.
She'd met Jaryn's parents, who thankfully had welcomed her with open arms, and his little brother, Charlie, who was a laugh riot in Nicole's opinion. He was a bright young man, and it was clear the younger Chaunterel had no intention of shrivelling under the bright aura of his older brother.
Her eyes instinctively sought out Jaryn, as she had been doing with regularity since they'd separated a little
"Well you're smiling for one, hence the happiness. You eyes keep shifting to the door to see the people inside, hence the eagerness. And your pulse is rapidly beating at the base of your neck, which could be from excitement, but I know that if it were me about to introduce you to all my family I'd be nervous about everything going well. So maybe chalk that one up to transference."
"See? There's nothing to it. Having said that, there will be a few biological changes in your system after we mate. I'm sure you've heard of them from one source or another over the years. You'll take my DNA through the enzymes from both my saliva and semen, and it will alter yours. You'll still be you, but...I guess the most appropriate word is enhanced."
"Will I be able to shift like you?"
"No. Only someone with the actual shifter gene can change shape. We'll talk more about that later. For now, let's have some fun."
Nicole nodded and smiled.
Jaryn pulled open the door and led Nicole inside. As soon as they stepped into the open interior, the clapping of almost one hundred and thirty shifters and town members close to the pack filled the space with a roar. There were a handful that'd shifted and now howled. Their song filled the rafters and Nicole jumped. Jaryn steadied her with his palm on the base of her back.
He placed a little kiss on the back of her ear. “It's okay, baby. They're just welcoming you home."
"They startled me, is all. It was beautiful, but I hadn't actually expected to see any of them like that."
"You mean in their wolf forms?"
Nicole nodded.
"It's not typical of pack meetings, unless we're all going out for a run. But they wanted to make the occasion special for you. Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone."
Jaryn took Nicole's hand and led her deeper into barn-like structure. They were surrounded by all the members of the Phantom River pack, and Jaryn smiled as Nicole turned in circles trying to see everyone.
Jaryn held up his hand and the room went silent. “I know many of you have met this young woman since she came to town, but it is my honour tonight on the night of our harvest moon celebration to formally introduce Nicole Holland, my mate."
More applause and howls rang out, and he and Nicole were quickly surrounded by dozens of well wishers. When the excitement simmered down, he took Nicole on a tour of the lodge. There were several cosy pockets of sitting areas scattered around, made up of furniture donated to the pack when members updated their homes. Large rugs scattered around softened the wide-planked wood floors. When pack business took place they set the space up like a conference room, but this was a social gathering so all of Jaryn's friends and family were drinking and dancing and having a good time. Pups darted in and out of the crowd, playing and searching out their parents. The smell of rich homemade food floated out from the kitchen, and Nicole's curvy little body filled his arms. There was nothing better in his mind.
* * * *
Nicole accepted a drink from Jody, one of the female pack members. Over the course of the night, she'd learned much about the man who was her mate. Small towns were good for getting to know someone's intimate secrets. She heard all about the pranks Jaryn had pulled in his youth, as well as his academic achievements from a couple of his former teachers. Nicole had talked to them for some time about the possibility of joining the faculty at the high school.
She'd met Jaryn's parents, who thankfully had welcomed her with open arms, and his little brother, Charlie, who was a laugh riot in Nicole's opinion. He was a bright young man, and it was clear the younger Chaunterel had no intention of shrivelling under the bright aura of his older brother.
Her eyes instinctively sought out Jaryn, as she had been doing with regularity since they'd separated a little
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